A Texan police department has released two graphic videos showing the fatal police shooting of a 47 year old who had pulled a BB gun on cops.

The videos are taken from the body cameras of Sgt Gabriel Green and officer Kaylynn Griffin.

The clips depict Green and Griffin confronting James Bushey, suspected of stealing alcohol from a local Wal-Mart, in the toilet of an Applebee's restaurant in Palestine, Texas.

"Don't act dumb for me," Green told him. "Come on and step out, OK. You're on video."

Bushey is seen walking calmly as the officers escort him outside the restaurant. Officer Green is depicted spotting a knife on a table and smoothly sliding it out of Bushey's reach.

The man then suddenly pulls the BB gun from his pocket and points it at the officers, causing an immediate reaction from them.

"Gun! Gun!" Griffin shouted. Green then fires eight to nine rounds, while Griffin pulls her handgun and fires three to four shots at Bushey.

Bushey's weapon was a pellet gun that resembled a Colt 1911 pistol, according to the Anderson County District Attorney. The two officers were cleared of wrongdoing and the body cameras' videos were presented to a grand jury that reviewed the shooting.

The 47-year-old Texan who died in the incident was struggling to cope with negative events in his life. He moved to Palestine six months prior after a divorce and several events "where he lost everything" according to his brother, who was quoted by the local Palestine Herald Press.

Bushey, originally of Elkhart, was staying at his brother's place in Palestine while trying to recover from tragic events in his life. He was attempting a program through ACCESS for an alcohol problem.

His mother Linda Camardie said Bushey "was a good boy". "I don't understand why the officers had to shoot him six times. He wasn't a bad person. He just made a bad decision," she said.

Texas police bodycam video